Charles Hatfield facts for kids

Charles Mallory Hatfield (born July 15, 1875 – died January 12, 1958) was an American "rainmaker". He became famous for claiming he could make it rain. People hired him to bring much-needed water to dry areas.

Early Life

Charles Hatfield was born in Fort Scott, Kansas, on July 15, 1875. In the 1880s, his family moved to Southern California. When he grew up, he worked as a salesman for a sewing machine company. In 1904, he moved to Glendale, California.

Becoming a Rainmaker

In his spare time, Hatfield studied how to make rain. He called this skill "pluviculture." By 1902, he had created a secret mix of 23 chemicals. He put these chemicals in large tanks. He believed the chemicals would make it rain. Hatfield called himself a "moisture accelerator." This meant he thought he could speed up the process of rain forming.

In 1904, a promoter named Fred Binney helped Hatfield get public attention. Some ranchers in Los Angeles saw his ads. They offered Hatfield $50 to make it rain. In February, Hatfield and his brother Paul built a tall tower in La Crescenta. From this tower, Hatfield released his special chemical mixture into the air.

It seemed to work! Rain fell, and the ranchers paid him $100. At the time, weather experts said the rain was part of a storm that was already coming. But Hatfield's supporters believed he caused it.

Hatfield started getting more job offers. He promised Los Angeles 18 inches (46 cm) of rain. When the rain came, he collected a fee of $1,000. For this job, he built his tower near Rubio Canyon in Altadena.

The Yukon Adventure

In 1906, Hatfield was invited to the Yukon Territory in Canada. Gold mines there needed water to operate. Hatfield agreed to make rain for $10,000. However, his efforts were not successful this time. He left after only getting $1,100 for his costs. Even this failure did not stop his supporters from believing in him.

The San Diego Flood

In 1915, the San Diego city council asked Hatfield for help. They needed rain to fill the Morena Dam reservoir. Hatfield offered to make rain for free at first. Then, he would charge $1,000 for every inch of rain between 40 and 50 inches (1.02 to 1.27 meters). If it rained more than 50 inches, that would be free too.

The city council agreed to pay him $10,000 if the reservoir filled up. There was no written agreement, but Hatfield started working based on their spoken promise. Hatfield and his brother built a tower next to Lake Morena. They were ready by early 1916.

On January 5, 1916, heavy rain began. It rained harder and harder each day. Dry riverbeds filled up and started to flood. The floods destroyed bridges and cut phone lines. Homes and farms were also flooded. Two dams, Sweetwater Dam and one at Lower Otay Lake, overflowed. The rain stopped on January 20 but started again two days later. On January 27, the Lower Otay Dam broke. This made the flooding much worse. Sadly, some lives were lost because of the disaster.

Hatfield told the newspapers on February 4 that the damage was not his fault. He said the city should have been ready for so much rain. Hatfield had filled the reservoir, just as he promised. But the city council refused to pay him. They wanted Hatfield to be responsible for the $3.5 million in damages. Also, there was no written agreement.

Hatfield tried to settle for $4,000. Then, he sued the city council. In two trials, the courts decided that the rain was an "act of God." This meant Hatfield was not to blame for the floods. But it also meant he did not get his payment. He continued the lawsuit until 1938, but the courts still ruled it was an act of God.

Later Years

Even after the San Diego flood, Hatfield's fame grew. He received more contracts to make rain. In 1929, he tried to stop a forest fire in Honduras. Later, the Bear Valley Mutual Water Company wanted him to fill Big Bear Lake.

However, during the Great Depression, it became harder to find rainmaking jobs. Hatfield had to go back to being a sewing machine salesman. His wife also divorced him.

Charles Hatfield passed away on January 12, 1958. He was buried in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. He took his secret chemical formula with him.

Hatfield claimed he had at least 500 successful rainmaking attempts. Some people later said that his successes were mostly because he was good at understanding weather patterns. He often chose times when rain was likely to fall anyway.